Cooksey continues climb in umpiring ranks

FLORENCE — Jason Cooksey has come a long way from umpiring Dixie Youth games at McLeod Park.

Tonight, he will be in Mobile, Ala., working his first game as a Double-A umpire in the Southern League as he continues on a path that he hopes will end in the major leagues.

After a year in the Florida State League, Cooksey can’t wait to work a game in front of larger crowds.

“The crowds in the Florida State League are awful,” he said. “You might get 50 to 250 people in the stands at any given time instead of 5,000 to 6,000 fans in other leagues.”

Cooksey added that his job is easier when the crowds are 1,000 fans or better.

“(Larger crowds) makes working as an umpire worthwhile,” he said. “The smaller the crowds, the harder it is to work. You can hear everything from the stands and the dugout.”

A native of Florence, Cooksey has umpired at every possible level, working Dixie Youth, high school and American Legion games before entering umpiring school in 2004. Cooksey got his first minor-league job in the New York-Penn League. After a year there, he spent half-a-season in the South Atlantic League before moving on to the Florida State League.

“I’ve always enjoyed the game,” Cooksey said. “I had an opportunity to go to umpiring school and couldn’t find a job after I graduated. So I went back, and got an opportunity in 2006.”

Umpires, like the rest of humanity, are prone to mistakes. And Cooksey said he is no different.

“I’ve made a lot of bad calls during my career. It’s human nature,” he said. “Fielders bobble and drop balls for errors. Pitchers leave pitches up and they go out of the park. It’s part of the game.
“I just hope it doesn’t come at a crucial point in the game.”